After five days of non-stop footballing action at the Maiden Nasarawa State U-13 Inter-Primary School Football Championship, the curtains will be drawing closed today.
The competition is aimed at discovering hidden talents from the grassroots and in commemoration of this year’s International Children’s Day Celebration held every 27th May.
Eleven Local Government Areas participated in the competition, including Akwanga, Awe, Keana, Doma, Lafia, Keffi, Kokona, Karu, Obi, Nasarawa-Eggon and Wamba, respectively.
Only Nasarawa and Toto LGAs couldn’t make it to the event, probably owing to unforseen circumstances.
Host LGA, Lafia, will slug it out with Keffi LGA after both sides lost out in the Semi-finals’ stage in a painful but dramatic fashion.
In the final, Kokona and Wamba LGAs will unleash all their arsenal against each other to sign-post which Local Government Area will first win the Championship 🏆
Dignitaries from all walk of life will converge on the Sports Complex of the Federal University of Lafia, Makurdi Road, on Saturday, 27th May, 2023, from 3pm, to not only catch a glimpse of the amazing skills and finesses these young lads possess, but to witness the birthing of a new generation of players that will both play for the State’s football team and Nigeria’s teams at whatever level in the future, culminating into professional football in some of the best leagues around the world.
While education is the mainstay of those kids who are still in their primary level, sport plays a pivotal role in their physical, psychological, emotional and social development to deliver on any task in their disposition.
One is hoping that in the nearest future, those talents would be ruling their world, in academics and sports, football, to be precise.
The proponent of this lofty Championship is a man whose competencies and swags are overwhelming. He is a father, a philanthropist, an astute politician, a social critic, a pious being, a leader with distinction, a grassroots mobilizer and political bulldozer.
Honourable Aliyu Bello(Sardaunan Adogi) is the brain behind the Maiden Nasarawa State U-13 Inter-Primary School Football Championship.
The CEO and founder of the popular Aliyu Bello Charity Foundation, the Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Nasarawa State, having being involved in such competition in then old Plateau, decided to re-awaken the defunct State’s U-13 Inter-Primary School Football Championship since the creation of Nasarawa State through his performing Non-governmental Organization as mentioned overleaf.
Each Local Government Area is well kitted and provided all the paraphernalia of participation by the NGO who collaborated with the State Government to actualize the noble project.
The Championship accepted endorsement from the high and mighty in the society – from Nasarawa State to the world.
His Excellency, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, heralded the endorsement of the Championship and graciously approved of it to be included in the programme of his 2nd Term Swearing-in and Inauguration Ceremony slated for 29th May, 2023.
A special dinner and awards’ ceremony is being organized for all the participating Local Government Areas at the Ta’al Conference Hotel, Jos Road, Lafia, by the sponsor of the Championship.
The event will hold by 7pm, few hours after the final match between Kokona LGA versus Wamba LGA, and strictly by invitation.
The Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, H.E. Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, is the distinguished Special Guest of Honour at the dinner ceremony.
There will be presentations of awards, certificates of participation and prizes to players and teams that have distinguished themselves in the six-day-long competition, with a pact to create the new NASARAWA STATE U-13 FOOTBALL TEAM.
History will continue to be kind to the Organizing Committee Members who were carefully selected to implement the task by the Founder of the Aliyu Bello Charity Foundation, Hon. Aliyu Bello.
Director of Information at the State’s Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, and Vice President, North-central, Sports Writers’ Association of Nigeria, SWAN, Comr. Danmusa Mohammed, is the Chairman of the Organizing Committee.
He is well supported by the Head of Public Relations at the State’s Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, and the youngest contestant for the post of the Assistant Secretary into the National Executive Committee of the Sports Writers’ Association of Nigeria, SWAN, Eche Amos.
Ibrahim Adamu from the Lafia Football Association is the Assistant Secretary.
Smah George from the Nasarawa Broadcasting Service is the Treasurer. SWAN Chairman, Nasarawa State, Isa Mohammed, from NTA, is a member of the Organizing Committee, as well as Ali Abare, immediate-past PA to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Media.
Director of Sports, Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board, NSUBEB, Zakari Oji, is also a member of the Organizing Committee. So also are Comr. Joshua Ashelo Grace, a psychologist; Ibrahim Aminu from Radio Nigeria; Musa Mohammed Kaigama; Mallam Approach; Assistant Coach with Nasarawa United FC and Chairman, Nasarawa State Coaches’ Association, Ibrahim Yahaya Sabo Bagu; General Secretary of the State’s Referees’ Council, Abdulganiyu Abdullahi; and Mallam Babayi.
The Screening Committee is headed by the Director of Sports Organizing at the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Lawrence Shammah, and supported by two other Directors from the Ministry, in Mallam Yusuf Ahmad(Facilities and Stadium Management) and Mustapha Sani Bello(Technicals).
It is hoped that the maiden edition of this Championship will open the vista for the continuation of the U-13 football Championship in Nasarawa State and create a traceable platform for talents discovery, nurturing and development for podium appearance.
We thank all those who made this project a success!
See you at the Sports Complex of the Federal University of Lafia by 3pm today.
